NIO M O UN M D RI T IA A L IO M • P N O U • M N W I D L R I A O T A A L I R • P • D W L L D N O A I H O R D L E M D R N I E T N O I H AG O E M E • M R P TRI I E A T IN AG O E • PATRIM United Nations World From United Nations World Educational, Scientific and Heritage the People Educational, Scientific and Heritage Cultural Organization Convention of Japan Cultural Organization Convention Support to the Support to the South Asian Cultural UNESCO Japan FiT project (2016-2018): Support to the South Asian Cultural Landscape Initiatives Landscape Initiatives South Asian Cultural Final Narrative Report • July 2018 Landscape Initiatives Since 2014, UNESCO has made several efforts to support the Government of Bhutan in understanding, conserving and raising awareness of its cultural landscapes. On 7-18 August 2014, UNESCO (World Heritage Centre and Office in New Delhi), Final Narrative Report • July 2018 with a financial contribution from the Paris-based NGO Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance, supported the Department of Culture of Bhutan in hosting an international competition titled “Cultural Landscape – its interpretation and ways to enhance the safeguarding of cultural landscape in Bhutan”. On 19 August 2014, an international forum, supported by UNESCO, was organized in Bhutan to collect expert advice and raise awareness of cultural landscapes. In 2015, Kyushu University (Japan) joined the above-mentioned partners to support Bhutan in hosting the 2015 Workshop on Cultural Landscape of Bhutan, from 21 July to 9 August 2015. The current UNESCO-Japanese Funds-In-Trust two-year duration project built on previous achievements and aimed to further enhance the understanding, conservation and awareness-raising of cultural landscapes in Bhutan through a variety of activities. The specific objectives of this project were to create and facilitate national activities/workshops in Bhutan on the topic of cultural landscapes; to provide technical assistance to improve documentation, enhance capacities, update legal frameworks, and prepare national cultural landscape World Heritage tentative list submissions of Bhutan; and to strengthen awareness of cultural landscapes in Bhutan. This final narrative report summarizes the activities undertaken from 31 May 2016 to 31 May 2018. http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/889 For more information, contact : UNESCO World Heritage Centre 7, place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 France http://whc.unesco.org Published in 2018 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France © UNESCO 2018 FMR/CLT/WHC/APA/18(FIT); FIT/536/RAS/4007/Final report This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Cover photo: © Bhutan Cultural Landscape - Rinchengang village@ UNESCO/Roland Lin Inside photos: © Department of Culture, Government of Bhutan (except where mentioned otherwise) Graphic and cover design: UNESCO Printed by: UNESCO Printed in Paris, France CLT-2018/WS/18 Support to the South Asian Cultural Landscape Initiatives Final Narrative Report • July 2018 Project Title Support to the South Asian Cultural Landscape Initiatives Target Country or Region South Asia: focusing on Bhutan UNESCO Budget code 536RAS4007 Funding source Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Preservation of the World Cultural Heritage Total Budget approved 114,928 USD (including UNESCO Programme Support Costs) Reporting Period 31 May 2016 – 31 May 2018 Executing Agency UNESCO Implementing partners Department of Culture, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, Bhutan Project starting date 31 May 2016 Project completion date 31 May 2018 Responsible Sector Culture Sector, World Heritage Centre, in close collaboration with UNESCO Office in New Delhi Name of Persons completing the present report Roland Lin (UNESCO WHC) in close collaboration with UNESCO Office in New Delhi 2 Support to the South Asian Cultural Landscape Initiatives Table of Contents I. Summaryand background 5 II. Description of project implementation 7 III. Progress towards results 17 IV. Sustainability and exit/ transition strategy 21 V. Visibility 23 VI. Challenges and lessons learnt 25 VII. Annexes 27 i. General Workplan of the Project and Self-evaluation 28 ii. Logframe matrix 29 iii. List of project missions 32 iv. List of major equipment provided under the project and status after termination contract period 33 v. List of publications, reports and other outputs 34 vi. Final Report of 2016 International Workshop on Cultural Landscape and Sustaining its Significance – Bhutan, 11 July to 3 August 2016, held in Paro and Thimphu, Bhutan by the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, Bhutan 35 vii. Final Report of the 2017 International Workshop for Cultural Landscape and Sustaining its Significance – Bhutan, 22–27 October 2017, held in Thimphu, Bhutan, by the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, Bhutan 59 viii. Selected evidence of visibility 84 ix. Outline of the Final Technical Report covering the previous years of activities on cultural landscapes in Bhutan, under final preparation by the Department of Culture, Bhutan and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (foreseen to be published in Winter 2018) 93 Support to the South Asian Cultural Landscape Initiatives 3 4 Support to the South Asian Cultural Landscape Initiatives Kyichu Lhakhang, Paro, Bhutan © UNESCO/Roland Lin I. Summary and Background As combined works of nature and humankind, cultural joined the above-mentioned partners to support Bhutan landscapes express a long and intimate relationship in hosting the 2015 Workshop on Cultural Landscape of between peoples and their natural environment. South Bhutan, from 21 July to 9 August 2015. Asia, and the Himalayan region in particular, is known for its The current project built on previous achievements and unique cultural landscapes that bear witness to a distinctive aimed to further enhance the understanding, conservation history and culture as well as traditional wisdom and and awareness-raising of cultural landscapes in Bhutan customs. Cultural landscapes are therefore a prime asset through a variety of activities. Due to Nepal’s urgent of the Himalayan region, particularly for Bhutan and Nepal. priorities to cope with recovery measures following the However, the region’s cultural landscapes, together with severe earthquakes of 25 April and 12 May 2015, this project traditional ways of living, are today increasingly vulnerable has not provided direct support to Nepal, nor implemented due to the changes brought about by urbanization and a lack activities in Nepal. Nevertheless, the current project has of awareness about their significance. As the preservation provided opportunities for Nepal, and in particular the and sustainable development of these cultural landscapes Nepali Department of Archaeology, to share experiences. are intimately linked to the processes of development and urbanization, increased understanding of, and respect The specific objectives of this project were to: for, Nepal’s and Bhutan’s fragile cultural landscapes ● Create and facilitate national activities/workshops in would also contribute to the development agenda of the Bhutan on the topic of cultural landscapes; Himalayan region. In particular for Bhutan, a country whose draft Cultural Heritage Bill of Bhutan considers the entire ● Provide technical assistance to improve documentation, nation as a unique cultural landscape, the protection and enhance capacities, update legal frameworks, and preservation of cultural sites and landscapes is crucial to prepare national cultural landscape World Heritage the achievement of sustainable development of the nation. tentative list submissions of Bhutan; Since 2014, UNESCO has made several efforts to support the ● Strengthen awareness of cultural landscapes in Bhutan. Government of Bhutan in understanding, conserving and The two-year duration of the project was approved by the raising awareness of its cultural landscapes. On 7-18 August Japanese Donor on 31 May 2016. The project was officially 2014, UNESCO (World Heritage Centre and Office in New launched on 3 August 2016, by the Director of the UNESCO Delhi), with a financial contribution from the Paris-based World Heritage Centre, Mechtild Rössler, together with NGO Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance, the relevant Bhutanese authorities and leading experts supported the Department of Culture of Bhutan in hosting from Japan (Prof. Yukio Nishimura, University of Tokyo and an international competition titled “Cultural Landscape – Prof. Toshiyuki Kono, Kyushu University), on the occasion its interpretation and ways to enhance the safeguarding of the first cultural landscape workshop under the project’s